First evar 'gig' check

[John Backlund]

I think about a dozen people showed up...including a couple of little kids, everyone else was out watching fireworks or something.

$50.00 bucks for two hours of noodling on my telecaster, and I also made $6.00 in tips, so the tip-to-customers ratio was quite high.

No one threw up or fell asleep, and I was invited to return by the owner, so I must consider it a successful evening.....even if they did spell my name wrong on the check.

(In case anyone is wondering about the wisdom of posting an image of the check on the internet, the account numbers are bogus)

[all_identaties_taken]

Good work.

Can you cash the cheque with the spelling error. I'm forever having to get signed corrections on cheques for that.

[cowboytwang]

What a coincidence.........

My first ever "gig" check was for the same amount, $50.
The sad part is that was in 1976.

[PeteMac]

Well done, John. Congrats.

(As far as the cheque is concerned, the "a" and "u" could be either; handwriting being what it is. Good luck . )

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by all_identaties_taken

Can you cash the cheque with the spelling error

I'll deposit into my account at my credit union, they won't make a big deal out of the misspelling. Thankfully, I live in a relatively small city with 'small city ways'.

After it's deposited, I'll also be able to immediately extract the $50 if I want to at the ATM without waiting for the check to 'clear', even if there wasn't enough to cover the check in the account.

Smallish towns have their advantages. If I was still living in Minneapolis, the check would almost be worthless with the spelling error and waiting periods.

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by cowboytwang

What a coincidence.........

My first ever "gig" check was for the same amount, $50.
The sad part is that was in 1976.

The not sad part (for you) is that $50 then would probably be $200 now...so going by that, mine is worth about $12 of yours.

[Larry F]

Originally Posted by John Backlund

The not sad part (for you) is that $50 then would probably be $200 now...so going by that, mine is worth about $12 of yours.

Gets sadder. My first gig with a band was in 1968 for $50 (divided by 5 guys).

[ce24]

congrats John...playin guitar and maybe getting a free beer or two plus $50.00 is a wonderful thing.

Cheers
ce24

[buddywayne]

Way to go John. I hope that just the first of many.

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by buddywayne

Way to go John. I hope that just the first of many.

Could be.....if enough people like slow, over-effected, fingerstyle instrumental versions of 'Happy Trails' and 'The Tennessee Waltz'...or else they need something to help them sleep....I'm probably one of the most boring guitar pickers in the world.

[Mark Moore]

I'm not exactly in the big city, but I've had a venue's check bounce and had to chase down the owner. So for me, it's cash only. Small unmarked bills if it's not too much trouble .

[Tim Bowen]

I'd say that even for bar and club gigs, my ratio of cash to checks for pay is about 50/50. I've done lots of casuals as an independent contractor where I had to fill out a 1099 form prior to being allowed to even cart my gear in, much less play a note or get fed. The check usually arrived in my mailbox within a week, but I've also occasionally been paid by check immediately before or after the job. Paying a musician in full before they've played any notes is perhaps not the wisest of business decisions, but I'll take it.

Small town or big town, much depends on the teller in question, as to discrepencies with funky looking checks. I once tried to cash a gig check in Rome, Georgia (small-medium town where I did a fair amount of growing up), and the teller complained that the numerical figure had weird looking zeros (it was fine), subsequently brought her manager in for backup, and access was denied. What's the point of having a cross reference between written and numerical nomenclature if common sense doesn't prevail? Let's go with one or the other.

On the other hand, I recently screwed up royally in offering my monthly teaching studio rent check to the proprietor of the business, as I'd just went to the bank and had mistakenly signed the back of this check and written my acount number on it, momentarily thinking that it was one of several personal checks written to me. He took an ink pen and scratched out my writing, slapped his rubber business ink stamp below the chicken scratching, and cashed it at an Atlanta branch of Wachovia with no issues.

[ole AZ]

Its always good to get money for doing something that's fun and that you love. Keep the checks rolling in.

[all_identaties_taken]

Originally Posted by John Backlund

I'll deposit into my account at my credit union, they won't make a big deal out of the misspelling. Thankfully, I live in a relatively small city with 'small city ways'.

After it's deposited, I'll also be able to immediately extract the $50 if I want to at the ATM without waiting for the check to 'clear', even if there wasn't enough to cover the check in the account.

Lucky you, in the UK 20 years ago when check's were passed between banks by old men in silly uniforms (Bank Messengers they dressed kind of like Beefeaters) cheques would clear in three days. Now in the age of the computer where across the rest of Europe money is transferred instantly I have to wait 10 days for a cheque to clear.